Job description

What it means

A job description is a detailed account of an employee's tasks, responsibilities and authority in a specific role. It supplements the type of work, a mandatory element of the employment contract, and spells out what exactly the employee is to do, whom they report to and what they may decide on their own.

While the type of work in the contract is usually phrased broadly, such as accountant or sales representative, the job description lists concrete activities, outputs, deadlines and competences. It follows the organisational structure and draws clear lines of responsibility between roles.

The Labour Code does not expressly require a job description as a separate document, but it is very useful in practice. It helps with recruitment, onboarding, performance appraisal, pay and disputes over whether the employee met their duties.

How it works in practice

A good job description is specific without trying to list every last detail. Alongside the main tasks it includes a general clause covering other duties related to the role as instructed by the manager, so that it need not be rewritten for every minor change.

It is usually handed over on joining, as an annex to the contract or a separate document, and the employee signs to confirm receipt. When the role or scope of responsibility changes, it is updated so it reflects reality and can serve as a basis for appraisal.

Larger firms link job descriptions to a competency model describing the knowledge and behaviour required. Together they make it possible to compare roles, set pay bands and plan employee development systematically.

What to watch out for

A job description cannot extend the type of work agreed in the contract. If the employer wants the employee to do substantially different work, the employment contract must be amended with the employee's consent; changing the job description unilaterally is not enough.

In a dismissal for unsatisfactory performance, the job description is key evidence of what the employee was supposed to do. If it is missing or vague, the employer will struggle to prove that duties were not met, and the dismissal may be invalid.